Miner&#39;s lamp.



A. L. HANSEN.

MINER'S LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11. 19x4.

Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

Aug/1L6 L. [2 60705520 COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0, WASHINGTON. it c.

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AUGIE L. HANSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JUSTBI'IE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MINERS LAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1%15.

Application filed November 11, 1914. Serial No. 871,455.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUoIn L. HANsnN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Miners Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to miners lamps, particularly to such as are used by miners.

Among the important objects of the invention are to provide improved water feed arrangement and provision for safety under abnormal pressure; to provide improved means for filtering, cleaning and drying the gas before it reaches the burner; to provide improved construction and arrangement which will insure a more uniform and steady flame; and to provide improved construction and arrangement which will enable the lamp to be used and manipulated with greater convenience and efliciency.

In the accompanying drawings which show one form of lamp embodying the various features of my i1ivention,Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a lamp, Fig. 2 is a vertical central section thereof, Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the water container section of the lamp, Fig. 4 is a front view of the water container section with the reflector structure removed, Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the car-bid container with the washer in section, and Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the water flow controlling mechanism.

The body of the water container is in the form of a cylindrical cup-shaped sheet metal shell 10 which has the lower opening 11 surrounded by the neck 12'. Extending through this neck and secured thereto is the cap member 13 whose inner end forms the floor of the water container and whose lower end has the horizontal annular shoulder 14 and.

diagonal flange 15 forming'seating for the washer 16. The front end of the water container is closed by a cup-shaped head 1.7

vided on the sleeve against which the reflector abuts. The reflector is rigidly securedto the sleeve in order that when it is turned the sleeve will thread along the stud 21 to draw the reflector against the edge 18 of the head 17 to form the outer wall of the gas chamber 27. In order to effect gas-tight engagement a washer 28 of rubber, leather or other suitable material, is interposed between the re flector and the edge 18, and this washer may be continuous to the sleeve 22 and permanently'secured to the reflector. The top of the cap 18 abuts against the cylindrical wall of chamber 20 and through this wall and the cap top the gas'inlet passageway 29 is provided. The sleeve 22 has gas ports 30, but in order to clean and filter the gas before it can enter the burner sleeve filter material 31 such as felt, wool, asbestos or the like, is applied in chamber 20. This fil ter material may be in the form of one or more washers as shown. These washers have the openings 32 for receiving the burner sleeve when it is threaded into the stud 21, the filter vmaterial being then more or less compressed between the reflector and rear wall 19 of chamber20. The lower parts of the washers are preferably cut away to leave the space 33 between them and the bottom of chamber 20. With this arrangement gas entering through passageway 29' will first enter chamber 27, and any solid particles 2) will tend to fall to the bottom of chamber 27. The gas is therefore cleaned of heavier particles before it passes through the filtering material to the burner. Other particles which do not primarily drop to the bottom of chamber 27 will be caught by the filter material and will eventually drop therefrom and into chamber 27. To avoid any accumulating space in chamber 20 for particles the lower wall section 34 at the front of the chamber is slanted downwardly as clearly shown in Fig. 2. With the arrangement de scribed the gas is thoroughly cleaned before it can reach the burner tube and occasionally the reflector structure isunscrewed and the accumulated particles and impurities discharged from chaniber 27. The burner tip may occasionally become cloggedwith carbon from the flame but can be readily cleaned by unscrewing the reflector structure and blowing outwardly through the burner sleeve or by inserting a wire through the tip. This removable burner reflector structure has therefore a decided advantage over prior structures. In ,these prior structures the burner is usually permanently fixed to the lamp body and a wire must be inserted to clean the clogged tip this resulting in pushing the loosened carbon accumulation or dirt into the gas passageway or duct. In my improved arrangement the burner is removable and any cleaning is in outward direction, the accumulations being thus prevented from being pushed back into the V lamp structure.

The cylindrical section of cap 13 is formed toprovide an interior thread for receiving the threaded neck 85 of the carhid container 36, this container having the horizontal and diagonal shoulder sections 37 and 38 for cooperating with the shoulder 14 and flange 1501 the cap 13 to clamp the washer 1G. The

carhid container is thus" sealed to cap 13 and the gas generated therein finds its way through passageway 29 and then to the burner in the manner above described.

Describing now the arrangement for feeding water to-the carbid in the carbid container, a'water duct 39 extends vertically through the water container shell 10 adiacent the rear wall thereof, this tube having the spiral slot 40 for the passage thereto of water from the water container. In the base of the shell 10 and concentric with the tube 39 is the valve seal 41 surrounding the outlet 42. The lower end of a tubular valve stem 43 is tapered to cooperate with the valve seat to control the flow of water through outlet 42, the head 44 of the valve stem having threaded engagement with the upper end of the duct '39 in order that when the stem is turned the tapered end thereof will be adjusted with reference to the'valve seat; An actuating lever45 extends from the head 44 and is locked in adjusted position by the cooperation of a spring 46 with protuberances 47 on the shell ,10. Directly below the valve outlet 42 the shoulder 14 of the cap 13 has the outlet opening 48, and ashort tube 49 interposed between this shoulder and the base of shell 10 forms a connecting passageway between the .valve outlet 42 and outlet 48. In order to prevent closure of the outlet 48 by the washer16 when the carbid container is screwed into the cap 13, the wall section 50 important features threads that the ridge of one will not extend entirely to the base of the other. As shown in the drawing a length of thread 25 on the neck 85 is deepened in order that the engaging section of the thread t on the cap will not entirely fill the thread section If toleave a spiral length of passageway 51. In the arrangement shown the lower end of the passageway 51 is adjacent the water outlet opening 48 and the upper end of the passageway communicates through slot 52 with the interior of the carbid container. It is evident however, that the same result could be accomplished by having the entire thread of the neck 35 deeper than the height of the thread on the cap 13. or either part or allof the can three d could be deeper than the height of the neck thread.

lVith the above described water feed arrangement the water path can be caused to include any length of resistance or capilliary passageway between the threaded membersf Such resistance or capillary passageway in the water path will, in the first place, retardand automatically regulate the rate of water feed making fine manipulations of the valve stem 43 unnecessary; and in the second place, the capillary passageway forms a seal against gas escape under ordinary pressures, but will yield when the pressure becomes abnormal, abnormal back pressure causing clearance of the capillary passageway of water and allowing sufficient to escape into the water container through the inlet slot 40, and through the vent openings provided in the plug structure 54 closing the filling inlet 55 of the water container. In the arrangement shown the inlet slot 52 to the carbid container is at the upper end of the spiral capillary passageway and the outlet 48 is at the lower end of the passageway. The water must therefore flow upwardly through the passageway against the force of gravity. It is evident, of course, that the conditions could be reversed and the outlet 48 provided adjacent the upper end of the capillary passageway so that the water could flow downwardly therethrough. When the valve opening 42 is open and the pressure in the carbid container becomes too great to find relief through the burner, the capillary passageway will yield and excess gas can flow to the atmosphere by way of the duct 39 and the vents 53, as before described. This relief path would, however, be shut oii' if valve opening 42 were closed and the burner were unable to take care of excess pressure or were entirely clogged. To afiord relief under such conditions the structure shown may be utilized to advantage. The stem 43 is made hollow and a rod 56 is inserted therethrough, the diameter of the rod and of the bore of the stem being relatively such that there will be left only a fine capillary passageway 57 which will receive Water when the stem is withdrawn from its seat, and this water will under ordinary conditions ofoperation remain to form a seal against escape of gas. Should the pressure, however, become excessive at a time when the valve opening 4:2 is closed and the burner unable to relieve, the excess pressure will clear both the spiral capillary passageway and thepassageway 57 of water and the excess gas will escape from the upper end of the stem 44-. Eiiectual guard is therefore provided against ex losion. The rod 56 may also be used for clearance pur poses to keep the outlet 48 clean and open. Tts upper end 56 is shown deflected laterallv in order that when the lever 45 is menipulated to control. the water flow therod 56 will be rotated to clean the water passageway. The lower end 56 of the rod may be expanded as indicated in order to more effectively clean the outlet d8 and also to lock the rod against falling out when the lamp is tilted or inverted. When the carbid container is withdrawn the rod drops a distance and then when the retainer is again replaced the rod will be raised, such vertical movement of the rod together with its rotary movements serving to keep the water passageways and outlets clean and clear.

It will be noted that in the construction described above there are no parts within or projecting from the cap 13. In prior structures some part, such as a water tube, valve tube, or the like, projected downwardly beyond the carbid container receiving flange and in some cases a filter washer was inserted in the head of the carbid tank receiving pocket. Such projecting parts would not permit the water container part of the lamp to beset down fiat after removal of the carbid container and the water container would spill and there was danger of breaking or disarranging the protruding parts. Furthermore, the filter washer is directly exposed to water, carbid and dirt in the carbid container and soon becomes useless and it has been necessary to provide additional washers or filter material with each lamp. AS soon as a washer became useless it was necessary for the user of the lamp to remove it and put in another one, but usually a new washer was not handy and the useless washer would be thrown away and the lamp operated without, all

dirt being then free to pass to the burner which'would soon become so clogged up that the lamp would be useless. In my irnproved construction and arrangement there is nothing within the carbid container receiving cap and the water container part of the lamp can be set down flat and securely upon removal of the carbid container. The filter material is entirely out of direct contact with and is not exposed to carbid or water in the carbid container, the filter material being slightly above the gas passageway 29. Furthermore, the reflector which forms the front wall of the head 17 is heated by the flame of the burner and the chambers 20 and 27 and the filter material therein are heated, any moist gas being then dried before it reaches the burner. The filter material remaining dry will retain full filtering efficiency and will not deteriorate. The reflector being readily removable, access can be readily had to the filter material and such material withdrawn and loosened up at any time, and cleaned if there are any accumulations therein. On account of the engagement of the stud with the threaded sleeve secured axially to the reflector, considerable leverage is provided and the structure can be readily applied or removed by grasping the reflector edge and turning the structure.

As before stated the chamber 27 receives the solid particles and dirt which fall from the gas and filtering material. This chamber acts also as an expansion or equalizing chamber. If the burner were directly con nected with the carbid container the fiame would spurt every time a charge of water is injected. However, by interposing this chamber between the passageway 29 and the burner sudden rush of gas through passageway 29 will have a chance to expand, the result being a more uniform and steady flame. The arrangement providing the capil lary passageway between the water valve and the carbid container is also very important as such passageway can be adjusted for any length by merely revising the threads on the carbid container or on the cap. The water fiowing between the threads will also serve to keep them clean and reduce the friction when the carbid container is applied or removed.

The ordinary hook 60 and a clamp 61 are shown secured to the back of the water container and serve to suspend the lamp from a cap. The reflector may also be provided with a pyrophoric igniter as shown.

I do not of course desire to be limited to the precise construction, arrangement and operation shown and described as modifications are no doubt possible which would still come within the scope of the invention.

1 claim the following:

1. In an acetylene lamp, the combination of a water container having a threaded flange, a carbid container having a threaded flange for engaging with the flange of the water container, the crest of the thread on one flange falling short of engagement with the hollow of the thread of the other flange when the flanges are in engagement whereby to leave a spiral passageway, one end of said passageway communicating with the interior of the carbid container, and means for .....w muwmm connecting the water container with the other endiof said passageway.

- 2. In. anacetylene lamp, the combination ota water container having a threaded flange, a carbid container having a threaded flange for engaging with the flange of the water container, the crest of the thread on one flange falling short of engagement with the hollow of the thread of the other flange when the flanges are'in engagement whereby to leave a spiral passageway, one end of said passageway communicating with the interior of the carbid container, and controllable means for connecting the water container with the other end or" said paseageway.

In an acetylene lamp, the combination of a water container having a threaded flange, a carbid container having a threaded flange for engaging with the flange of the water container, the crest of the thread on one flange falling short of engagement with the hollow of the thread of the other flange when the flanges are in engagement whereby to leave a spiral capillary passageway, one end of said passageway communicating with the interior of the carbid container, and means for connecting the water containe" with the other end of said passageway.

a. Ina lamp of the class described, the combination of a water container having a threaded flange, a carbid container having a threaded flange adapted to be received by the flange of the water container, and a control lable passageway for connecting the water container with the carbid container, there being a space between the engaging surfaces of the threaded flanges included in said passageway. v w j 5. In a lamp of the class described, the combination of a water container having an annular flange, a carbid container having a flange adapted to be received by the flange of the water container, one of said flanges having a spiral groove forming a spiral passageway between the engaging flanges, one end of said passageway communicating with the carbid container, and a controllable connection between the water container and the otherend of said passageway.

tainer, and means for connecting the water CODiZftlIlBl with the other end of said pas sageway.

7. In a lamp of the class described, the combination of a water container having a flange, a carbid container having a flange adapted to be received by the aforesaid flange, one of said flanges having a spiral groove forming a spiral passageway between the engaging surfaces of the flange, the upper end of said passageway communicating with the interior or" the carbid container, and a controllable connection between the water container and the lower end of said passageway, said passageway forming part of the water path from the water container to the carbid container.

8. In a lamp of the class described, the combination of a water container having a threaded annular flange, a carbid container having a threaded flange adapted to be received by the flange of the water container, the ridge of thethread on one flange being separated a distance from the hollow of the other flange to leave a spiral passage when the flanges are in engagement, the upper end of said passageway communicating with the interior of the carbid container, and a controllable connection between said water container and the lower end of said passageway.

9. In a lamp of the class. described, the combination of a water container having a threaded annular flange, a carbid container having a threaded flange adapted to be received by the flange of the water container, the ridge of the thread on one flange being separated a distance from the hollow of the other flange to leave a spiral passageway when the flanges are in engagement, one end of said spiral passageway communicating with the interior of the carbid container, a water duct leading from the water container, and means for connecting said duct with the other end of said spiral passageway when the flanges are brought together.

10. In a lamp or" the class described, the combination of a water container having a threaded annular flange, a carbid container having a threaded flange adapted to be received by the flange of the water container, the ridge of the thread on one flange being separated a distance from the hollow of the other flange to leave a spiral passageway when the flanges are in engagement, one end of said spiral passageway communicating with the interior of the carbid container, a water duct leading from the water container, means for connecting said duct with the other end of said spiral passageway when the flanges are brought together, and valve mechanism controlling the flow through said duct.

11. In a lamp of the class described, the combination of a water container having an annular threaded flange, a carbid container having an annular flange for engaging with the flange of the water container, a length of the thread on one flange having loose engagement with the thread of the outer flange to leave a spiral passageway, one end of said passageway being connected with the interior of the carbid container, and means controlled by the application of one flange to the other to connect the water container with one end of said spiral passageway.

12. In a lamp of the class described, the combination of a carbid container having a threaded-neck member, a threaded cap member for engaging said threaded neck member, said cap member having a gas outlet, a burner communicating with said outlet to receive the gas generated in said container, a section of the thread on one of said members having loose engagement with the thread on the other member whereby to leave spiral passageway between said members, one end of said passageway communicating with the interior of the carbid container, a water supply source, and means for connecting said source with the other end of said passageway.

13. In a lamp of the class described, the combination of a water container, a cupshaped end closing one end of said container, a stud extending into the cup from the inner wall thereof, a cover for said cup having a sleeve adapted to be secured on said stud, a carbid container, a connection between said carbid container and the interior of said cup, said sleeve also communicating with said cup, and a burner tip supported at the outer end of said sleeve.

' 14. In a lamp of the class described, the combination of a gas generator structure, walls forming a chamber, means all'ording communication between said chamber and gas generator structure, a coupling member extending into said chamber from the inner wall thereof, an outer wall for said chamber having a companion coupling member adapted to cooperate with the aforesaid coupling member to detachably secure said outer wall to close saidchamber, said companion coupling member having a burner opening communicating with said chamber.

15. in a lamp of the class described, the combination of a gas generator, a structure mounted on said generator forming a cupshaped chamber, the inner wall of said chamber being deflected to form a compartment, there being communication between said gas generator and the interior of said structure, an outer wall for said structure and means for detachably securing it to close said structure, a gas duct communicating with the interioror said structure and leading to the exterior thereof, and filter material within said compartment interposed in the path of gas flow to said duct.

16. In a lamp of the class described, the combination of a gas generator, a cupshaged frame secured thereto and having communication therewith, a detachable outer wall for said frame and means for securing it against the edge thereof, a burner tube extending through said outer wall and com municating with the interior of the frame when said wall is applied thereto, and filter material localized within said frame about the entrance of said tube, said frame forming an expansion or equalizing chamber for the gas and said filter material serving to clean the gas before passage to the burner tube.

17. In a lamp of the class described, the combination of a cylindrical water container, a carbid container, a cup-shaped frame forming an end wall of said water container, a reflector forming the outer wall of said frame, and coupling mechanism eX- tending axially with reference to the reflector and frame for detachably securing said reflector against the edge of the frame.

18. Ina lamp of the class described, the combination of a cylindrical container having an open end, a wall set in a distance from said open end, a reflector adapted to close said open end, and coupling mechanism arranged axially with reference to the reflector and wall for detachably securing the reflector in position to close said end.

19. In a lamp of the class described, the combination of a cylindrical container having one end open, a wall extending across the container and inwardly a distance from said open end, a reflector adapted to bridge and close said open end, a burner tube extending axially through said reflector, and means for detachably securing the inner end of saidtube to said Wall to lock the reflector inits end closing position.

In witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand this 9th day of November, A. D., 1914:.

AUGIE L. HANSEN.

Witnesses:

C. J. SCHMIDT, EDMUND G. lNcnRsonL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

